(VNA - 16/04/2012) -
The National Assembly of Vietnam will work harder to further develop the traditional friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and Bulgaria, said NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung during talks with his Bulgarian counterpart, Tsetska Tsacheva.

The talks took place following an official welcome ceremony for the Chairwoman of the Bulgarian National Assembly in Ha Noi on April 16.

Chairwoman Tsetska Tsacheva said she admires the Vietnamese people’s national construction and development achievements.

She said although the world is suffering serious impacts from global economic crises, Viet Nam and Bulgaria still see a lot of opportunities to step up cooperation, especially in agriculture, energy, construction, goods exchange, food and health.

Bulgaria, an EU member since 2007, is ready to help Viet Nam penetrate the EU market, she said.

The Bulgarian NA leader recorded positive results of bilateral ties not only in trade but also in education, security and defence.

She expressed her belief that with an agreement on educational cooperation reached, more and more Vietnamese students will come to study in Bulgaria, becoming a bridge for fostering the friendship between the two nations.

According to Chairwoman Tsetska Tsacheva, Viet Nam and Bulgaria see great potential to boost their tourism cooperation as they highlight their time-honoured history and culture as well as favourable geo-political positions.

At the talks, NA Chairman Hung expressed his belief that the relationship between the two NAs will see breakthrough developments in future, especially after the visit.

The Vietnamese people always respect Bulgaria’s valuable support and assistance for Vietnam in the struggle for national liberation in the past as well as during the current national development, he said.

The two sides should pay attention to strengthening business coordination and exchanges, he said, adding that Vietnam is ready to create conditions for Bulgaria to boost cooperation with other ASEAN member countries.

The two leaders agreed on measures to boost cooperation between the two legislative bodies and facilitate joint programmes and projects between the two Governments.

The two sides also agreed to continue maintaining the exchange of delegations at all levels to learn about each other’s legislative and supervision experience as well as implementing bilateral memoranda of understanding.

The two NAs will coordinate in supervising the implementation of cooperative agreements and programmes, creating conditions for Vietnamese and Bulgarian businesses to boost investment and business activities, they emphasised.

The two sides agreed to continue cooperation and mutual support at multilateral parliamentary forums for the common interests of their people.

After the talks, NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung and his Bulgarian counterpart signed a memorandum of understanding as a legal foundation for the two law-making bodies to further strengthen their cooperation in the future.

The NA leaders also witnessed the signing of cooperative documents between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Bulgarian State Commission on Information Security, and between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science of Bulgaria.